The best part of being a photographer is taking photos of my own family.  Meet James, my nephew, apple of my eye, and the coolest young man.  I try do photos of him often, as he is growing up so fast.

As soon as my Easter setup was ready, I organized for him to come and visit for a quick shoot.  Having an Aunt as a photographer, he is used to being in front of the camera, although he's not a fan of it.  Capturing these special moments in his life are part of what makes my job so rewarding.

Have a peak at my gorgeous nephew's Easter shoot:

We are offering fun Easter mini-shoots until Easter Friday, so don't miss out on cute pics of your little ones

C
XXX

We have so many milestones in our lives, but turning 21 is one of the biggest.  So being asked to photograph a beautiful Masquerade party for Dom's 21st was really exciting, especially as I had worked with Eva, her mom, before.

Arriving at Grand Central in Melrose Arch, I was pleasantly surprised by the gorgeous decor, these ladies had put so much effort into making this an amazing event.  This evening was so much fun to work at ... it was filled with so many funny stories and you could feel how much everyone loves the birthday girl.

Have a peak at this beautiful 21st birthday party:

Venue: Grand Central - Melrose Arch
Eva & Dom's Makeup:  Makeup by Monique

Thank you Eva, Walter and Dominique for asking me to capture this special day ... it was as always such a pleasure working with you!  To Dom, I wish you every success in your future, you are such a beautiful young lady and deserve nothing but the best in life!

Love
C
XXX

I know the Rowe family pretty well, in fact Cathlin's mom, Desiree, and I are really good friends.  So, when they asked me to be a part of this milestone in their lives, I wouldn't have missed it for anything!   Cathlin is a beautiful young lady, with a very sharp wit and an even sharper mind. Not only does she excel academically, but shes a talented Violinist and that was something we had to feature in her photos.

It was a unique shoot as we did it over two days.  As Desiree designed and made her gown, it was ready early, and she had booked her hair and makeup trials a week before the actual Matric Farewell.  This gave us the opportunity to go and do a full shoot for her on location at the Modderfontein Nature Reserve, and then finish off with the family portraits on the day of her farewell.  I loved that we could do it this way, it meant no time pressure on her portraits and we could have some fun.

Cathlin looked amazing in her custom made gown, and blue is definitely her colour!   It was the first time I had ever seen her in a dress, but that didnt stop her from climbing up into places most people wouldn't just to get a beautiful shot.  For this, I do have to thank her, because at times she thought I was crazy at my ideas.   I just love the photos we got at the Reserve, everyone special, however I do love the ones with the violin the most.

A week later, on the day of her farewell, I arrived at the Rowe home and was greeted by Sheldon, Cathlins handsome date for the evening.  Shortly after that, their ride to the event arrived.  It was perfect, and in true Rowe style of being different!  It was a beautiful blue Taxi, and driving it was a very well dressed family friend.   As time always runs away before a big event, we quickly did some photos of Cathlin and Sheldon, and then some fun ones in the Taxi.  After some family portraits, this lovely couple were off to the farewell.

In the few years I have known the family, I have watched Cathlin bloom into this amazing young lady.  I wish you every success in your studies in the field of Forensics, and know that your Mom and Dad are really proud of you.

Here is a peak at the gorgeous Cathlin's Matric Farewell photos:

Suppliers & Venue Details:
Photoshoot Venue:  Modderfontein Nature Reserve
Gown designed & made by:  Deserable
Makeup:  Makeup by Shandre

Thank you to the wonderful Rowe family for allowing me to be part of Cathlins Farewell!
Love
Chantal
XXX

One thing I have learnt being a photographer is having good quality equipment is vital.  Although I often shoot free hand, having a strong, sturdy and versatile tripod has really made things easier.

The first tripod I used was one from the 1970's ... it was my dad's from when he used to do black and white still photography.  I am sure this tripod will be around forever, as its made of steel and the leg extensions were held with large steel screws.  Once it was set up, it was awesome, it could hold any amount of weight and would never fall over, but this came at a price.  It was so heavy, and setting up was painful as the screws were very tight and I often scrapped the skin off my fingers when adjusting the legs.  As a starter tripod it suited my needs, but now I really needed something a bit more versatile.

When I first became an ambassador for Photon & Vanguard, I spoke to the team at Fotacs to see which tripod would be the best for me.  Firstly I needed light weight, something that can travel with me at all times as you never know when you need a tripod.  I needed a quick release for the camera, as things move fast at times and I tend to not leave the camera on the tripod while setting up the the shot.  I also wanted easy to set and versatile legs that can move at all different settings as I like different angles and prefer to keep the skin on my hands while setting it up.   An easy to adjust but secure easy head that could pan and tilt and that most importantly had spirit levels (as I tend to shoot skew!) was definitely on my must have list.

After a few trials with different tripods, I settled on the Alta Pro 236T with the photo pan head.  This is the most versatile and flexible tripod I have ever worked with and have never worried about the safety of my camera (or fingers) with it.

Some of you will remember a few years ago I was precariously perched on a ladder at the Photo & Film Expo shooting the milk bath?  Well the truth is, I am terrified of heights, and I was shaking so much from both my fear and nerves of being on stage, that I could have never gotten the shot without my trusted Vanguard Alta Pro 236T tripod holding the camera in place.

These are two cellphone "behind the scenes" photos to show the setup we did on stage ant the 2015 Photo & Film Expo.

Its thankfully not often that I use the Alta Pro to hang over models in mid air, the more common uses I have for it is group photos at schools and product photography. 

There are a few key features of this amazing tripod that I just love:

• The Tripod can go up to 178cm, or right down to eye level of sitting children.
• It can hold up to 5kg, suitable for my D800 with the 70-200mm lens
• The 3-way pan head, that makes setting up and capturing the best composition a breeze
• Quick release with a large camera mount makes me comfortable to safely leave my camera on the tripod, or quickly take it off and put it back on.
  
• The Multi-Angle Central Column that allows for the most amazing angles.  It allows me to move the central column from 0 to 180 degrees easily for product photography
  
• 4 spirit levels that help to ensure I shoot straight

So for those looking for an easy to use and setup, lightweight and versatile tripod this is definitely one to look at!